


FitzSimmons week: 7 Prompts

by Anytha



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fantasy, FitzSimmons week summer Edition 2014, Fluff, Nightmare, Stargazing, Stereotype, Stupidity, Tumblr Prompts, headcanon series, ribbon, unexpected
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-13
Updated: 2014-07-22
Packaged: 2018-02-08 17:04:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1949247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anytha/pseuds/Anytha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My contribution to the FitzSimmons week on Tumblr: seven Prompts in 7 days and all about our favourite scientists.  These prompts can be placed in the Headcanon universe I've already created with my other stories or read on their own..</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Her Leo

**Author's Note:**

> I'm working on my other stories but I couldn't resist and just had to write something for the FitzSimmons week. I will update as soon as possible, I promise.  
> Anyway, here's the prompt for Day 1: Stargazing
> 
> Thanks to my Beta StarryDreamer01 who helped me edit this.

* * *

The Team was walking back to the Bus, their mission finished and tiredness seeping into their bones. Coulson and May were in the front, silently leading the Team back to their airborne home. FitzSimmons were in the middle, walking side by side and carrying their equipment while Ward was closing the line with Skye. The hacker was talking to him and he mostly listened to her rather than talking back.

Jemma unconsciously stepped closer to her partner as a chilly wind came upon them. He turned and smiled at her.

“We're almost there,” Leo said, exhaustion blurring his brogue a bit and making it softer. She had come to adore his voice when it sounded like this: it reminded her of early mornings and sleepy kisses, warm hugs under blankets and whispered words before drifting to sleep.

“Hmmm,” she hummed and fought the urge to curl her fingers with his. The Team still didn't know (though Coulson and May had shot them knowing looks _too many_ times recently) and she couldn't bring herself to expose them and endure Skye's endless teasing and ' _I knew it_!' for... probably _forever_.

She saw the outline of the Bus in the dark and sighed softly, imagining to sleep in her bed in a short time. Maybe with her engineer curled by her side as her personal heating source.

Jemma blinked as she realised that she was thinking about Leo as her engineer a lot lately.

Her best friend. Her partner.

Her Fitz.

She smiled to herself and felt a wonderful fuzzy feeling invade her chest, she looked up and was greeted by the sight of a clear night sky and the Northern hemisphere's star chart mapped out in front of her. She stopped in her tracks, taken aback by the spectacle and felt Leo stop too.

“Too tired to try-”

“-and name the constellations?” She finished his sentence and smiled at his challenge. It was an old game of theirs that had started when they were still at MIT. He grinned at her, eyes bright and sleep forgotten.

They put down their cases and looked up in unison. Seconds later, they started spouting out names and random facts about the constellations as they pointed them out to each other.

Coulson and May had barely turned to look at the younger agents before going up the cargo ramp. Ward walked past them, shaking his head and muttering something unintelligible about scientists under his breath before telling Skye -who had stopped looking interested- that they wouldn't be leaving until the morning so they could stay out here for a while.

FitzSimmons barely nodded at him as they walked around with their noses up to the sky, pointing.

“Fitz, look: Cassiopeia.”

“And that one over there's Perseus, Simmons.”

At some point, the three of them sat down on the ground, just below the Bus' wing and kept pointing and naming stars. Skye had an amused look but nevertheless listened to FitzSimmons talking about Ursa Minor and Ursa Major.

“Oh, that's Draco,” Leo said, pointing to a spot over Jemma's shoulder, fingertips brushing against her arm.

“Like Malfoy in Harry Potter?” Skye asked from where she sat on Fitz's case.

“Yeah, J.K Rowling used many stars’ names for her characters,” Jemma replied. “Just think of Sirius: that's the brightest star of the Canis Major.”

“Or Bellatrix,” Leo added, leaning on his elbows as he gazed up. “That's one of the stars of Orion.”

“Hmm,” Skye hummed. Then she shook her head as sleep lulled her to close her eyes and looked at her two teammates. Simmons was looking at the sky with a small frown on her face, twisting in her position on the ground.

“What are you looking for, Simmons?” Skye asked, slightly bemused.

“Leo,” she replied absently. Fitz turned automatically towards her and the hacker snorted.

“You must be _really_ tired, Simmons,” she teased. “He's right next to you...”

Jemma rolled her eyes.

“I didn't mean my-” She faltered halfway through her sentence and quickly corrected herself. “-him. I meant the constellation.”

Thankfully, Skye had been distracted by a yawn and hadn't heard her fumble with her words.

Leo did however. She glanced at him and noticed how he was staring at her with a curious gaze.

Jemma looked away, glad for the darkness that masked her suddenly red face.

Moments later, Skye got up and left for her bunk, bidding them good night and telling them to go to sleep at some point. FitzSimmons nodded as one and she smiled as she walked into the Bus.

They stayed in silence for a while and Jemma rested her chin on her drawn knees, taking in the quiet of the empty meadow where the Bus was parked, far from any inhabited area.

She heard Leo shift, trainers scratching against the grass as he sat up and when she looked at him, he smiled softly.

Jemma smiled back, savouring the little flutter in her chest.

“Should we go inside?” She asked.

“Not yet,” he answered and moved closer to her, their shoulders bumping together. Jemma smiled again when he moved his arm over her shoulder, enveloping her in his warmth.

They were quite hidden by sight under the Bus' wing: it was nice to have a little niche of privacy outside their bunks.

“There,” he said suddenly, pointing to spot on his right. She craned her neck to look. “Leo.”

“I knew that it was there...somewhere,” she said. He grinned and she mock glared at him. “Don't look so smug, mister. Just because you found it before I did.”

He leaned forward and kissed her, making her squeak softly in surprise. She immediately relaxed and returned the kiss, lips moving slowly against his and cupped his jaw with one hand.

She felt him smile and, in a little flight of boldness, she darted her tongue to caress his lower lip and deepened the kiss when his lips parted.

A pleasant warm flare invaded her body when his hand left her shoulder and tangled into her hair, bringing her closer to him.

They kissed for a few minutes, adjusting the pressure and intensity of their lips until they had to move away to breathe freely. Jemma gently bumped his head with her forehead, enjoying his proximity. His blue eyes were trained on her face.

“So... My Leo, huh?” He whispered.

She blushed and nudged his nose with hers, too embarrassed to retort.

“Hmmm,” she hummed in some sort of assent and he laughed softly.

“Good, I like that...” he said, eyes full of tenderness. “Besides, you're my Jemma. So...”

She beamed at him and laughed slightly as he ducked his head, looking flustered at his confession, previous cockiness gone.

“Good to know,” she whispered. “I like that too.”

She kissed him thoroughly, taking her time in mapping his mouth and enjoying the way he moaned softly and she whimpered in response.

It was only when they yawned -together- that they broke away, laughing quietly and decided to go inside.

They quickly put their equipment in the lab and headed to their bunks. The Bus was silent: their teammates asleep and only the light buzz of the airing system around them

“We should do that more often,” Leo stated and Jemma looked at him, arching a brow in amusement.

“The stargazing,” he specified, blushing and scratching the back of his neck. “The other -well... thing... We can do that whenever we want... or can.”

“I doubt we'll end up landing the Bus in a urban-free place any soon,” she remarked with a smile as she stopped in front of her bunk. “Or find ourselves in another city without SHIELD facilities.” and settle for a meadow.

“A bloke can hope,” He shrugged and smiled.

“As for the other... thing,” She reached for his hand and tugged him into her bunk, closing the door behind them. She smiled unabashedly at his surprised expression. “I suddenly want to show my Leo how much I appreciate him.”

Leo's response was quite enthusiastic as their lips collided again.


	2. Unexpected Fears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys... I have to admit that writing a prompt a day is harder than expected but it's pretty fun. And you are all awesome for the response..  
> Thank you so much. :)
> 
> Here's the prompt for Day 2: Unexpected
> 
> Thanks to my Beta StarryDreamer01 who helped me edit this.

 

* * *

Jemma was upset with him.

And he didn't have a clue as to what he'd done.

  
  


They'd been busy in a joint mission with a group of scientists from Stark Industries and they really didn't have a chance to exchange words, talk, let alone, argue about anything.

He'd brushed past her as he picked up tools and gave orders to the younger techs; she'd been doing the same and they barely had time to interact as they were too busy doing their jobs.

Maria Hill was coordinating the operation with Coulson from the Ops Room. Skye, May and Trip were elsewhere leading a team while he and Jemma were leading the whole R&D department.

And all of the scientists and technicians listened to them without questioning.

Fitz wasn't still used to...fame and respect. He'd been known for years throughout SHIELD as a component of FitzSimmons alongside Jemma but now he was known for being Agent Fitz, part of FitzSimmons and part of Director Coulson's Elite Team.

  
  


It was a bit mind blowing...

  
  


However, now that all the mainframes had been fixed and communications restored, Fitz turned to his partner in the packed Ops Room where they stood side by side and smiled when his blue eyes locked with her amber ones. It was a smile that faded once he saw the flash of emotions in them and the uncertain look on her face. When she averted her gaze, he knew that something was wrong.

“ Wha-” He started to ask but she quickly walked away, heading towards a desk where she had left her tablet.

Concern filled his chest and he was about to approach her when Maria Hill appeared in front of him, smiling slightly.

“ Good work,” she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Your Hounds and the tracking device worked perfectly. And that Mouse Hole saved lives.” Her light coloured eyes softened as she smiled more sincerely. “Again.”

Fitz smiled slightly, blushing, recalling her tale about how his device had saved her,  _ Captain America  _ and  _ Natasha Romanov _ . How the same device had allowed  _ Director Fury  _ to survive.

Maria Hill was SHIELD's former Deputy Director, one of the living legends along with Fury and Coulson. She currently worked for (or with? He couldn't really say...) Tony Stark and had access to world intelligence and sources.

Her praise was extremely flattering for him.

Fitz grinned at Coulson who was standing behind Hill and gave him a smile and a nod: the seal of approval that he'd done a good job.

“ Simmons is the one to praise for the tracking device,” he said immediately. “Her traceless scent is what allowed us to find the kidnapped scientists.”

He turned to her and blinked when he didn't see her by the desk anymore. His eyes searched the room and he found her by the door, bag and tablet in hand. He noticed the little frown on her face. Was she upset because Hill and Coulson were praising him and not her?

No, Jemma was not like that.

  
  


Then what...?

  
  


His confusion must have shown on his face because the frown disappeared from Jemma's face, replaced by an uncertain, hurt look that made Leo's heart twist. She then forced a smile at him, opened the door and left the room.

Fit didn't know what happened. He didn't know what he had inadvertently done. But he'd fix it.

“ Excuse me, I should-” He fumbled a bit with the words as he turned back to Hill and Coulson, failing to come up with a reason to leave.

“ Of course, go ahead, Fitz,” Coulson said and Leo saw how the older man's eyes flitted between him and the door behind him.

Coulson knew. Somehow, the man knew about him and Jemma even though they hadn't told anyone about it and indirectly allowed them to be together despite Section 17 and anti-fraternization rules.

But the look that Coulson was giving him now, spoke of other things.

SHIELD's new director was an honourable man: he wanted to rebuild the organization and draw Hydra out of it and he wanted to guarantee world peace. Coulson cared for his agents and for his Team (and he still suffered because of Ward... but the man was a sore subject for everyone). And he was protective of his Team.

Especially of the female members.  _ In particular  _ the two younger women.

The look Coulson was shooting Fitz was that of a father towards his daughter's boyfriend. It clearly said 'Fix it or else...'

Leo was out of the door, shoving his tablet in his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder, before he could even stop to imagine what could happen to him if Coulson's protective side was harmed.

He walked down a few corridors and spotted Jemma as she turned a corner. Jogging after her, he winced slightly as the backpack's weight on his left shoulder made his arm tingle painfully.

His arm had healed but his dextrosity was coming back at a painstakingly slow pace. His coma after almost drowning in the Caribbean Sea had somehow slowed the rehabilitation  process: the bones had mended but the flexibility was still low. Thankfully, his hands had stopped shaking when he was tired and his memory wasn't harmed. He still forgot things (things that he would have remembered before the incident) but Jemma usually filled him in.

Almost eleven years of knowing each other came in handy in these situations.

Jemma didn't hear him approaching and he skidded to a halt in front of her, making her jump.

“ Where are you going?” He asked, slightly out of breath. He really had to ask Trip or May to train him a bit.

“ The Bus... We don't have to wait here anymore,” she replied softly, looking everywhere but at him. His concern skyrocketed.

“ Jemma,” He reached for her face, fingertips stroking her cheek. “What's wrong?”

She looked at him with that uncertain look again and bit her lip.

“ Nothing, really...” She smiled slightly, her hand covering his on her cheek.

He blinked, not expecting that answer and felt a ping of hurt in his chest.

“ You're lying,” he said softly. That had never happened before...

Her eyes widened and he knew that he was right.

“ Fitz...”

That sent another spark through his chest. She always called him Leo when it was just the two of them...

“ Why?” He asked. “We promised not to keep anything from each other.” They had fought viciously months ago amidst the mess of Hydra's comeback while they were at Providence because of minor misunderstandings. He had kept his fears and doubts to himself just like she did and one day, after he went out for a mission, everything just blew up on their faces.

It was the first time that he had made her cry: he'd never do that again.

“ Talk to me, Jemma,” he pleaded. “I- Did I do something? You were alright this morning when we got here. What did I do?” He went through his day in his mind, trying to find the action or word that might have upset her but couldn't find anything. “I-I'm sorry. For whatever I did. I mean.. I don't know  _ what  _ I did but I must have hurt you. And- Just tell me. It won't happen again. I don't want you to-”

“ _ Leo _ ,” Jemma dropped her bag and tossed the tablet on it before wrapping her arms around his neck. He shrugged off his backpack and heard it fall with a dull thud as he hugged her back.

Any other moment, he would have been concerned about the delicate devices inside but now he didn't care.

All his focus in this deserted corner was towards the woman he was holding in his arms.

“ Jemma?” He whispered in her hair, his previous question still lingering.

“ You didn't do anything, sweetheart,” she replied softly. “You didn't hurt me.” She moved back and cupped his face with her hands, smiling tenderly. “You'd never hurt me.”

“ Then what-?”

Jemma sighed, leaning with her against the wall and bringing Leo along with her so that his body almost covered her. Her hands slipped down to his neck.

“ I overheard Deputy-well, ex-Deputy Hill speaking with Coulson,” she said. “She was praising your work and Coulson mentioned that despite everything you had gone through in the past months, you still managed to get the work done well.” She smiled slightly. “He seemed a proud father, actually...”

Leo grinned despite himself, feeling a little bit of fondness for Coulson who was, somehow, a sort of father-figure in his life.

“ Hill proposed to have you work here,” Leo felt Jemma's fingers tighten around his neck and he looked at her.

“ Me?”

“ I don't know how Coulson is planning to rebuild SHIELD but we're still agents of a terrorist organisation to the rest of the world. That means that we cannot settle down in a building and call it headquarters: we have to go on traveling covertly on the Bus and hide at the Playground.” She looked up at him with liquid amber eyes. “But staying here would mean having Stark's protection, helping SHIELD by using the unlimited resources of the Industries and... having full medical care and support.”

Leo blinked.

“ What about you?” He asked. “Did-?”

“ No, the offer was just for you,” She smiled sadly. “It makes sense: you're the brilliant engineer and your devices saved lives. Even the lives of SHIELD's highest operatives.”

“ I'm not going anywhere without you.”

“ _ I know _ ,” Jemma looked as though she was going to smile and cry altogether. “And that's why I'm hating myself.”

Leo didn't understand: whatever he expected her to say, it wasn't this.

Why was she upset with  _ herself _ ?

“ Sweetheart,” He moved his hands down her back so that they rested on her waist. “Don't worry...”

“ I  _ do  _ worry,” she said quickly. “Less than two months ago, I was sitting by your bedside, not knowing if you were going to wake up. Ever since I heard of that offer, I keep thinking that I should force you to take it. You'd be safe and some qualified doctors would take care of you.”

“ I don't want-” He started to say but she cut him off.

“ But then I think that I won't be able to see you or talk to you everyday. I keep thinking about being in the lab on my own, alone in my bunk... _Alone_.” Jemma was trembling against him. “And I can't bring myself to tell you to leave even though I know that it would be the best choice for you. I can't stand the thought of being apart from you; not after those five days you were in coma. I hate myself because I'm selfish. I love you so much and that's blinding my ability to see what's better for you!”

Leo didn't move, too stunned by her outburst and Jemma buried her face against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist. He watched her for a moment: she looked so small and delicate and yet...

  
  


She jumped out of a plane to save the people she cared for.

She jumped in front of a grenade to save him and Skye.

She swam more than ninety feet on a single breath of oxygen dragging him along.

  
  


She loved him.

  
  


Leo felt his heart swell with emotions.

“ Jemma,” He moved his hands up to her face, so that they would be looking at each other. Her eyes were shining with tears but she was not crying. “You're not selfish: you're the most selfless and brave person I know.” He smiled softly. “I love you and I don't want to leave your side either.”

“ You almost did back in the medpod...” She whispered, biting her lip. “You almost-”

“ Hey,” He took one of her hands and placed it over his heart. “I'm alright... My heart's beating and I'm breathing. My arm is healing thanks to the physiotherapy you're making me do and my memories are all mostly there...You'll have to fill in the blanks when I can't.” He joked slightly and she quirked her lips upwards.

“ I'm sorry,” she said softly. “I'm...I'm a mess...and you have to deal with me.”

“ No, you're not,” he whispered, leaning his forehead against hers. The medpod incident had changed them: they were both more fragile, physically and mentally. “You're worried for me. And I constantly worry about you. We'll just have to learn to live with it and.... take care of each other. It's what we've always done, no? Since we were fifteen?”

“ We look after each other,” she said, smiling slightly.

“ Yeah...” He smiled too. “You're taking care of me, nursing me back to health and I'll gladly take care of you now, not allowing you to think about silly things.”

Jemma's smile broadened and she hugged him, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

“ If something happens again, we'll find a solution together, yeah?” She asked. Leo hugged her tight.

“ We won't leave each other alone,” he promised. “We'll find a solution together.”

They stayed in silence in the corridor and when they finally broke apart and picked up their bags to leave, Jemma entwined their fingers together.

“ I love you,” she whispered, brushing a kiss at the corner of his mouth.

“ I love you too,” he said, kissing her temple.

  
  


-

  
  


When Coulson walked by the lab later, FitzSimmons were putting away their equipment and tools. The man looked at Jemma and then Leo (who nodded firmly) before smiling and leaving, bidding them good night.

“ He was worried for you,” Leo said at Jemma's questioning gaze. “He actually sent me off after you without saying a word. The look on his face is what I assume will be on your dad's face when he knows that we're together.”

“ Oh please,” she said, standing next to him. “Mum and Dad adore you.”

“ I doubt your dad will adore me when he finds out that I'm snogging his daughter.”

Jemma snorted.

“ I do wonder what excuse Coulson gave Maria Hill when I ran out o- What?” He asked in confusion. A frown had crossed Jemma's face when he spoke and then disappeared when he stopped.

“ What?” She asked innocently. Too innocently.

“ Jemma...”

“ It's nothing...” She quickly discarded her lab coat and walked out of the lab.

“ Hey, we promised not to keep anything from each other,” He followed her, quickly switching off the lights.

“ Anything important! This is... stupid.” She lowered her voice, blushing and looked around but none of their teammates were there.

Curiosity piqued, Leo grabbed her hand and they both slipped into his bunk.

“ What is it?” He asked, trapping her against his door.

The pinkish tint of Jemma's cheeks turned darker.

“ I didn't like seeing her touching you,” she mumbled, burying her face in her hands.

Leo blinked.

“ No wait...”He said slowly. He suddenly remembered her little frown in the Ops Room. “You were jealous?”

Jemma nodded.

“ Of Maria Hill?” Another blind nod. “With me?” Again she nodded. “You were jealous because you thought that Maria Hill fancied me?”

“Yes,” she mumbled through her hands.

Leo stared at her.

  
  


She had surprised him with another unexpected statement. Again.

Jemma thought that ex-Deputy Maria Hill was interested in him! Plain, Level 5 engineer Leo Fitz.

  
  


_ That  _ was complete nonsense.

  
  


Leo laughed loudly and stopped only when Jemma whined softly and hit his arm.

“ Stop it,” she hissed. “You'll make everyone come to see what's going on.”

“ Sorry, it's just-” He snorted. “Christ, that's mental... I don't know whether to be flattered or bewildered that you thought that Maria Hill could fancy me.” He can't help but let a bark of laughter.

Jemma glared at him.

“ She was always touching your arms or shoulders and speaking so highly about you,” she scoffed. “Sorry, if I was worried when a beautiful, smart and powerful woman takes interest over my boyfriend..”

Leo grinned and cupped her face, kissing her soundly.

“ I wouldn't care the least,” he said, breaking the kiss and leaving her breathless. “I only have eyes for you.” He kissed her again. “Besides I honestly doubt that she'd be interested in -well...  _ me _ .”

Jemma nipped his lower lip.

“ You are very fanciable,” she said softly. “I can assure you.”

“ Good to know,” he said. “But I'm still interested only on you.” She moved forward and kissed him again. He smiled teasingly when they parted. “And it's odd to see you jealous: I'm usually the jealous one.”

“ It happens once in a blue moon,” she admitted, running her fingers through his hair. He grinned and placed a kiss on her throat.

“ Maria Hill interested in me...” He laughed against her neck and smiled when he saw her shiver. He started kissing a line further down her neck.

A sudden thought crossed his mind and he straightened up, looking at her.

“ Jemma?”

“ Yes?” She looked at him in confusion.

“ If Maria Hill  _ really  _ fancied me... Do you think that I could convince her to introduce me to Tony Stark. Maybe give her a wink, a smile or something?”

Jemma stared at him, eyes narrowing.

“ Don't you  _ even  _ dare,” she said, tugging on his hair.

“ I was joking, I was joking..”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fitz and Maria Hill... I don't know why but I've been toying with the idea of Jemma misunderstanding and getting jealous somewhere after Hill appeared on the show... Would anyone be interested if I wrote that story?  
> Please, leave a comment... :)


	3. Of Labs and Late Nights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly have no clue how this came out.  
> I hope you guys like it...and thanks for the comments.. :)
> 
> Here's the prompt for Day 3: Fantasy
> 
> Thanks to my Beta StarryDreamer01 who helped me edit this. She writes awesome stories: go and read them! :)

 

* * *

Jemma rubbed her eyes with her sleeve, her gloved hands stained with the chemical components she was working with and sighed softly.

 

She was exhausted.

  
She didn't know what time it was but judging by the dark sky, it had to be really,  _ really  _ late. The kind of hour when it was too late to be night and too early to be morning.

All her body and mind is asking now was to sleep: she needed a few blissful hours of rest to recharge and start again.

She turned her head to her side and watched Leo working on a device that some SHIELD team in Asian had sent Director Coulson: he was meticulously taking the thing apart to verify its components.

They'd been working a lot lately. They were Director Coulson's scientists and that had unofficially given them the title of resident experts on any scientific aspect within SHIELD.

Perhaps, the fact that most of the scientists within SHIELD were either dead, kidnapped or Hydra spies had put them in this position.

Every agent or team that Coulson had screened and recruited would call them to identify unknown material or devices and ask for help in analysing and looking for advice.

It had been flattering at first. Now, it was just tiring.

Leo moved, twirling a screwdriver in his long fingers as he studied the scans taken by the DWARFs and compared them to what he was seeing in the device.

He had recovered well: his hands were not shaking anymore and his arm didn't hurt him when he lifted weights or strained himself. His memory was quite intact and the little things that slipped were minor ones.

 

He was all right: that was all she cared about.

 

Jemma stood there in silence, watching him work. 

After a few moments, he put his tools down on the workbench and ran a hand through his hair, sending his curls flying in every direction; his blue eyes were focused and his mouth set in a firm line before he crouched down to dismantle the device with his own fingers. Something about the whole scene made her turn around, swallowing dryly.

 

She had become  _ extremely  _ aware of him.

 

She seemed to notice every little thing about him lately: from the way his hair would curl on his forehead to the little lines that would crease his face when he smiled; the way his eyes looked darker in the morning when he woke up to the roughness of his fingertips against her skin when they kissed in contrast to the softness of his lips.

 

She  _ really  _ should stop thinking about that now.

 

Jemma started to clear her workspace, trying to free her mind from the influx of thoughts but failing miserably.

Ever since he had woken up from his coma, they had gotten closer... if that was even possible. They spent every night together in one of their bunks, giving each other comfort because the nightmares had increased. Jemma couldn't close her eyes if his arms weren't around her and his steady breath lulled her to sleep. Leo had confessed that having her close to him at night was the only way to stop her screams from echoing in his head.

But as the nights went on and the nightmares slowly diminished, their closeness became more intimate. The kisses more frequent and heated, the touches more daring and lingering and they both yearned for more.

They didn't give in to their feelings though. They were aware that they lived on a plane and slept in tiny rooms with walls that weren't completely soundproof.

Their teammates might be ignoring the fact that she and Leo slipped into their bunks together every night and might even feign knowing that they were a couple but what would they say if they did more...?

Jemma didn't want to imagine how her teammates might react. Skye would be terrible about it: she was the only one that explicitly knew about her and Leo (Jemma had told her months ago) and the biochemist could imagine the endless teasing they would have to endure.

She imagined Coulson’s reaction: he might have to tell them about Section 17. Or he might ignore it since SHIELD and its rules didn’t really exist at the moment: he might let them be as long as they did their work well. However, the possibility that the anti-fraternization rule could still be there to separate them made her and Leo cautious not to expose their relationship.

Or he might call them to his office and give them some sort of talk which was not something she was looking forward to. Hell, she hadn't had  _ that  _ talk even with her parents. Something about being a genius biochemist that could explain the whole process from a biological point of view had saved her from that.

Jemma sighed, taking her gloves off and rubbing her eyes.

She was tired and that was the reason for all of these thoughts...

Or maybe it was her dreams that had shifted from horribly frightening to terribly suggestive.

Like the one where she and Leo were snogging mindlessly in the lab late at night and she was tugging onto his lab coat to get him closer to her.

 

Right…

Perhaps thinking about  _ that  _ while they were both in the lab, late at night and very unlikely to be interrupted was not a good idea.

 

Or maybe it was...

 

No. She had to get rid of these thoughts from her head.

 

“ Jemma?”

  
She turned abruptly and found Leo standing in front of her.

He was smiling tiredly, blue eyes soft with sleep and hair mussed by his constant ruffling. He was wearing his lab coat over his shirt with his tie loose and hanging lopsided. There was a thin layer of scruff on his face, making him look more rugged than usual.

Jemma swallowed dryly when she realised that Leo looked as though he had just walked out of her dream and that was doing terrible things to her body and mind.

“ Yes?” She squeaked.

“ Let's call it a night, yeah?” He smiled crookedly and she almost melted on the spot. “I've been looking at that-” He waved a hand vaguely towards the device on his workbench. “-and my eyes are blurring over the blueprints.”

“ A-Alright,” she stammered and turned around to order her workspace before he could say anything else. She expected him to walk over to his side to clear up and she almost sighed in relief when he did so.

It would give her time to clear her mind. There had to be some explanation to all this mess in her head.

 

It was all a biological reaction.

She was just reacting to his pheromones.

 She had a logical explanation now: hormones

  
  


As Jemma put away the last things on her table, she realised that she was just kidding herself.

  
  


She was extremely attracted to Leo because she loved him.

Her few previous relationships didn't have the emotional baggage that she had with him. None had her yearning to get closer physically and emotionally.

She turned to him after she finished and switched off the lights from her side of the lab and found him staring at her with intense eyes.

If she knew Leo enough -and she did- he was probably struggling with conflicted feelings just as she did..

She approached him, feeling warm, loved and suddenly self-assured, and smiled softly. She gently reached for the lapels of his lab coat.

“ Jem?” He looked down at her, confused, surprised and even a little hopeful. She smiled.

“ The lights, Leo,” she whispered and she saw him swallow dryly, Adam's apple bobbing in his neck as he turned the switch off.

The lab's video feed automatically stopped when they were flying and the lights were off. It was an unnecessary security measure and expense that Coulson had agreed to approve when they were fixing the Bus and upgrading it.

Jemma didn't think she'd be so happy to see the dim safety lights turn on by the lab's doors while they were shrouded in semi-darkness.

She looked up and caught a glimpse of Leo's eyes, the bright blue still clear despite the scarce light. Jemma didn't wait, seizing the chance and not allowing her quick and somewhat shy mind to take over. She pushed herself up on her toes and kissed him.

Leo didn't hesitate either and dipped down, melding their lips together and pushing her gently against the table, making her lean against it. Jemma's fingers curled in his lab coat's collar and pulled him closer to her, never breaking contact.

It was a slow and soft experiment for both.

Leo moved his hand behind her nape, fingers tangling in her hair while the other went past her coat and blouse and skimmed the skin of her waist. Jemma mewled softly when he started tracing patterns on her skin with his thumb.

She wasn't idle either: one hand wrapped around his neck while the other ran through his curls and gently scraped his scalp, making him groan in her mouth. The trickle of pride that went through her for his reaction made her smile and deepen the kiss.

At some point, their lab coats came off and it was just lips and teeth seeking warm,  tender skin. His larger hands tenderly roamed over soft curves while delicate fingers undid shirt buttons and traced the outlines of smooth muscle.

They were in sync as always despite the novelty of the moment: soft gasps were swallowed by heated kisses (and if their teeth clashed slightly, she would giggle softly and he would chuckle embarrassedly before trying again).  Breathy sighs were followed by little smiles and gentle pecks. Every now and then, Leo’s eyes would flit to the lab’s door, probably expecting someone to appear, the lights turned on and the two of them exposed.

Jemma felt a little trickle of nervousness whenever her voice came out a little more louder than expected or Leo’s whispered words echoed in the lab. 

There was a part of her that knew that it was unlikely for any of her teammates to walk into the lab or the cargo bay at this time.

And she also knew that they really shouldn’t be doing this here. In the lab.

But there was also a little voice that told her to stop worrying and to just enjoy being with Leo.

As a couple.

They knew each other well enough to know when to stop so they launched into the exploration of each other as they did with their science: suggesting ideas and then waiting for the other to finish.

  
  


-

  
  


It was almost dawn when they walked up the staircase to their bunks. They were more than a little disheveled and pink in the face (Jemma was sure that they were both sporting some prominent marks on their necks as well and she thanked the stars for the chilly spring and high collared jumpers) but they couldn't stop beaming at each other.

They were halfway to Leo's bunk when May appeared in front of them: she must have just left the cockpit.

Jemma and Leo froze as the senior agent saw them. Thankfully, Leo seemed to gather his wits quickly enough to nod at her and smile.

“ Good Night, May,” he said softly and walked past her, gently grasping Jemma's wrist to bring her along with him.

May stared at them and Jemma wondered what she was thinking.

She must see them as two twenty-six year olds who were behaving like teenagers. Two of SHIELD's most brilliant minds who were forgetting their roles and thinking selfishly about themselves.

But May didn't say anything.

She just nodded at them and Jemma could almost swear that she saw a hint of a smile cross her face as she walked past her.

 

_ “ The walls are thin: try to keep it down...” _

 

Leo and Jemma froze again right in front of Fitz's door. They turned as one towards the older woman but she had already disappeared.

Once they entered his bunk, they looked at each with wide eyes.

“ Did she just-?” Leo said, unable to finish the question.

“ I think she did,” Jemma confirmed, blushing slightly.

“ _ May  _ just said-”

“ Yes.”

 

They stared at each other.

“ We should go to bed,” they said in unison and prepared for the few hours of sleep that awaited them.

 

  
Best not to linger on the thought...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, leave a comment... :)


	4. Stupid Mistakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I kind of messed up the whole 'Post everyday'-thing because of work and real life. I'll try to make it up, posting the next three prompts everyday.  
> As always, thanks for the comments... :)
> 
> Anyway, here's the prompt for Day 4: Stupidity
> 
> Thanks to my Beta StarryDreamer01 who helped me edit this.

“ How could I have been  _ so  _ stupid?”

“ Leo, will you stop?”

“ I just- I should have known better, Jemma.”

“ No, you couldn't. It just happened and there was no way you could stop it.”

  
  


Leo wasn't sure of her statement and just stared at Jemma with concerned eyes. Eyes that quickly flitted to the ripped and bloody material of her blouse over her right shoulder and then to the white bandages that were there.

“ Does it hurt a lot?” He asked softly, fingertips skimming over the rough material.

She smiled gently.

“ No,” she replied. He arched a brow and she rolled her eyes. “Alright, a little bit,  _ yes _ . It's just a flesh wound.” She reached for his face, caressing his cheek. “Don’t look so worried, sweetheart…”

Fitz swallowed dryly and looked at her, perched on their workbench where he had lifted her up so that Trip could see her arm.

It was so odd to see her being tended to and not being the one that took care of the injuries that one of the Team had sustained.

The mission was meant to be a non-offensive one.

The Team had to explore the building and find anything useful to catch a murderer that was killing off former or hidden Hydra agents, especially scientists and data analysts. SHIELD had to intervene because most of the killed agents had been spies within their organisation.

The modus operandi of the murderer was extremely simple: find, isolate and kill.

FitzSimmons had been on site because they had to find something that allowed them to understand what kind of weapon was used by the murderer. All the victims had been found with what seemed like multiple gun shot wounds but no bullets were found nor any evidence of gunpowder or other material.

Leo hadn't even thought of ice bullets. The efficiency of a weapon that used them was very low: the constant low temperature was one of the biggest inconveniences.

  
  


Unless the wielder had super powers that allowed them to manipulate ice.

  
  


When Donnie Gills had appeared in front of him, Jemma, May and Trip, Leo's mind quickly did the math and he knew that they'd found their murderer.

They'd crossed paths with Donnie twice after the incident at the Academy. Once in his own town where they'd learned about his powers and then during a run-in with Raina where they'd learned that he had joined her research program and that he was still in contact with Ian Quinn.

Leo had tried to talk to him but the younger man had brushed him off with anger: he accused him of being the reason for the death of his only friend.

His words had stung and Leo had felt more than a little guilty because he  _ had  _ solved the ice-machine's energy problem and the device had killed Seth.

Donnie had fled both times, while the Team was involved in scuffles with the Centipede soldiers.

Now that boy was a man: a vindictive and evil one who went by the name Blizzard and was flanked by super-soldiers.

He was an enemy, not a boy to save and redeem.   
  


But Leo had done it again: he had tried to talk to him and let him come to his senses. He was so young and so alike himself: he could be saved from destroying his life.

He had been so  _ stupid _ .

  
Donnie had brushed him off again, angrily saying that his words were meaningless and that SHIELD had ruined his life...and had started to shoot with his gun.

Despite having passed their field assessments, he and Jemma weren't accustomed to close range combat. Fitz had been shoved out of the way by Trip while May had dragged Jemma behind some crates stocked in the basement, informing Coulson and Skye (who were in another room) about the situation through their comms.

A fight occurred again and Trip and May faced the super-soldiers, avoiding Donnie's bullets. Leo and Jemma had fired their ICERS towards the enemy, trying to help and had, at some point, stood side by side.

 

That had been another really stupid mistake.

 

Donnie had been watching them and his eyes had widened suddenly. Following his gaze, Leo realised that he had seen the golden band on his left hand.

Identical to the one on Jemma's ring finger.

  
Blizzard (because he wasn't Donnie anymore, Leo just had to accept it...) had smiled evilly and before Leo could even realise what was happening, he was hit on a side and wheezed as he crashed against the wall.

 

Jemma's panicked shout still echoed in his brain.

 

He had never felt so utterly scared as he did in the moment when he got up and saw Blizzard aiming his ice-based pistol towards Jemma. Leo had tried to fire an ICER bullet at him but the super-soldier that had attacked him had grabbed his arm, nearly wrenching it out of its socket and kept him still.

The physical pain had been strong but it couldn’t be compared to the agony in his chest when he saw Jemma shriek and fall to the ground, clutching her arm.

Blizzard had aimed his gun at her again and Leo knew that this was his torture and punishment: to stand, impotent, as his best friend, his wife ( _ his everything _ ) died in front of him.

May and Trip were far away fighting and if Coulson and Skye hadn't arrived....

 

“Leo?”

 

Jemma's voice brought him out of his thoughts and he looked at her. Her amber eyes were full of concern and he felt his heart constrict.

They might have not been able to look at each other again if-

He swallowed dryly and moved forward, cupping her face gently with one hand.

“I could have lost you today,” he whispered, feeling all of his fears and concerns swell in his chest.

Jemma's hand moved from his shoulder to his cheek again and shook her head.

“No, don't go there, Leo,” she said softly. “We're safe now.” She ran her fingers delicately along his jaw. “It's not your fault.

“But-”

“Donnie needs someone to blame because he feels guilty. He blames you even though it was his and Seth's plan to lure us to the Academy and get the device working. He probably blames me as well because I didn't save his friend.”

“I tried to talk to him,” Leo felt bitterness sting his voice. “It was useless and I just-”

Jemma's fingers softly curled around his neck.

“That's because you want to see good in people. You don't believe that people can be just...evil,” She smiled gently. “It's what makes you such a wonderful person: you're utterly good. You want to believe in others and give them a chance.”

Leo sighed, moving closer until their foreheads touched.

“ And that helped us  _ so many  _ times...” He muttered, sarcasm flowing in his words.

He thought of Ward and their consequent fall into ocean;Ward who voluntarily resided in a SHIELD prison cell ever since he'd been captured years ago and gave intelligence information about Hydra and had never allowed anyone of the Team but Coulson to see him: he had never given explanations or apologies for what he had done.

He thought about his elder brother who he had evaded for years and had accepted to talk to after Jemma, his mother and his sister had coaxed him to give their relationship one last try.

And now Donnie...

 

He had tried to believe in them because he was sure that there was some good left inside them. But then, they had all betrayed his trust.

And attempted to hurt Jemma.

 

Leo pressed a soft, chaste kiss on Jemma's lips and stared at her, taking in her soft amber eyes, loving face and gentle smile.

He'd never allow anyone to hurt her again...

Jemma's hand went up to his hair and tangled in his curls, drawing him closer to her.

“I'm fine, love,” she whispered, somehow knowing his train of thoughts and he smiled at her. Her eyes flitted to his right side. “How's your shoulder?”

“Trip set it back,” he replied, trying to forget the pain of dislocating his shoulder and having it put back in place. “I just have to stay put for a couple of days.”

Jemma's nimble fingers ran through his hair, making him close his eyes at the feeling. He felt a bit of the tension leave his body.

“I was so scared when that soldier attacked you,” she confessed, concern lacing her voice. He shook his head, their foreheads moving together and smiled again.

“I'm fine, love,” he said reassuringly, echoing her own answer. Jemma smiled softly.

“Honestly though,” she mused after a moment of silence. “I didn't think that we'd end up with a gunshot wound and a dislocated shoulder on our first mission back.”

Leo let out a small puff of laughter rather than frowning like he might have done in the past.

“Yeah, neither did I,” he admitted and nuzzled her neck. “As much as I like seeing the Team again, I'd rather kept touring Europe with you.”

“Me too,” Jemma's lips brushed his cheek. “We might have got a wee bit spoilt.”

Coulson's wedding gift had been a month of leave: one true, SHIELD-free month of vacation that the newly wedded FitzSimmons had used for their honeymoon.

After the wedding ceremony in Glasgow and spending a few days in Sheffield, they'd packed and left for the mainland, relishing on the fact that they could go anywhere together without restraints.

“Italy was nice,” he said, recalling her rapt face when they had visited Venice, Florence and then Rome where they had stayed for a few days. “You finally got to visit the Eternal City like you’d you wished.”

“Well, you did promise that we'd go back and visit,” she whispered teasingly. They had gone to Rome for a Sci-Ops convention years ago and had managed to scrape only a few hours for sightseeing. Leo had sworn that he'd take Jemma back whenever they had the chance after hearing the regret in her voice when they left.

“You literally dragged me through every museum, hidden street and famous square. Let's not even mention how many monuments we saw...” His aching feet were a small  price to pay compared to her shining eyes when she saw the Roman relics inside and outside the Colosseum or the frescos in the Sistine Chapel.

“And you were pretty happy to eat all the pizza, pasta and cheese we could find,” She nudged her nose against his cheek playfully. “Thank God for your metabolism or I'd have ended up with an obese husband halfway through the honeymoon.”

Leo snorted and enjoyed the little twist in his chest when she said husband.

They were really married. They were really each others for the rest of their lives.

He reached for her left hand with his hand, entwining their fingers together and bringing them up to eye level. Their rings glinted in the lab's lights.

Jemma gently tugged their hands closer to her lips, brushing a kiss over his knuckles.

“I never thought that they'd put us in danger,” she whispered, looking at the small golden bands.

“Neither did I,” he said softly, brushing his thumb over the finger where her wedding and engagement rings were placed. Donnie knew that he and Jemma were close: he’d talked about her in his room at the Academy and their partnership was acknowledged throughout SHIELD and the Academy.

If Blizzard wanted to hurt him, he would have chosen Jemma over anyone else in the Team. But seeing their rings had made his wife the only choice.

He had never thought about the possibility that their enemies might use their relationship against them...

“I-I wouldn't feel complete if I had to had leave my rings behind whenever we're out for a mission.”

“I could make us some chains to wear around our necks where we can hang the rings. Something sturdy, unbreakable and water resistant that we can wear during assignments or while we're working in the lab.”

“And then we'll wear them again when we're off duty,” Jemma brushed a kiss against his lips. “That's a wonderful idea, sweetheart.”

Leo smiled and kissed her back.

It was the hissing slide of the lab's doors that made them break the kiss but they still stayed close to each other. Their teammates had long accepted their relationship and FitzSimmons had learned to stop being flustered of their closeness in front of them.

So when Skye walked in, Leo and Jemma turned as one with her sitting on the workbench and her good arm on his good shoulder and him standing between her legs, hand resting on her knee.

Skye grinned.

“Oh good, you're being all mushy and adorable again,” she stated. “So you're both fine. And here I was, worrying about you...”

Leo snorted while Jemma rolled her eyes.

“I think that we can say that we're fine because you literally saved our arses out there,” Leo said with a note of gratitude and fondness.

 

Skye had saved them.

 

Skye who loved to tease and warbled for hours about videos on the Internet; Skye who had cautiously told them that she was an 0-8-4, scared that they would treat her differently and had burst into tears when Jemma had hugged her and Leo had asked what they could do to help her find more about her origins and powers; Skye who hugged them senseless when they woke up after almost getting killed during a mission to save their teammates and had cried and threatened them ( _ Don't you dare do that again, FitzSimmons! Don't you dare leave me without friends and family again! _ ).

That same Skye had barged into the basement amidst the fighting with Coulson and had shot Donnie and the super-soldier with her ICER in a very Melinda May fashion before rushing off to help them and assess their injuries.

“Well, that's what family does, no?” Skye said with a shrug and small smile.

“Yes,” Jemma replied, smiling at her. They were friends and family: nothing could change that.

“Besides, Simmons still has to fill me in with everything you did during your honeymoon.”

“ Not  _ everything _ , I hope,” Leo murmured and Jemma whacked his arm with her hand.

“Fitz!” She scolded, blushing pink, and Skye laughed.

“Nope, I don’t want the sordid details,” she said.

Jemma moved to get down from the workbench, placing a hand on his shoulder to help her. Leo quickly wrapped his arm around her waist and lifted her down, earning a soft smile in return.

“We're getting Chinese for dinner,” Skye remarked as they left the lab and walked upstairs. “I'm planning to order all the fried things I can find on the menu and watch Trip eat them.”

“ Yeah because  _ that  _ will happen,” Jemma snorted.

“ I've never seen Trip eat anything that's not healthy,” Leo said, arching a brow. “Seriously, I've seen him have chips like... _ three  _ times since I've met him.”

“Oh but he will this time,” Skye grinned. “You two will help me.” At their blank gaze, she added, “Come on! I've been dying with boredom with no one but May, Coulson and Trip around here.”

Leo and Jemma shared a glance and then nodded at her, smiling. They were in.

 

Dinner was rather eventful that night and the loud laughter of a hacker and two scientists intermingled with the sputters of one pranked specialist.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, leave a comment.. :)


	5. Her Worst Fear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit angstier than the rest: it's placed a few weeks after the medpod incident.  
> Hope you guys like it.
> 
> Prompt for Day 5: Nightmare.
> 
> Thanks to my Beta StarryDreamer01 who helped me edit this.

 

Fitz had woken up.

 

It was the only thing that her sleep deprived brain had caught from Skye's rambling. Jemma dashed out of the common room, sidestepping her friend and ran to the medical bay where Leo had been residing in a coma for five days.

Jemma had never left his side except for the few minutes when she had to go to the loo or when Skye would force her to leave and get some air. But she didn't leave for more than five minutes before she was back in his room. The longest she had been away had been twenty minutes and it was because she had showered (the shower itself had lasted five minutes but it had taken fifteen minutes for her to dispel the mind numbing fear that the jet of water had caused her).

_  
Of course _ , he had to wake up during her first intentional break, when she had given in to Skye's pleading looks, Coulson and Trip's concerned words and May's tactful glances.

Of course, Leo just had to wake up when she was away and not be the first one to see him. The first one to scold him( _ scream at him _ ) for being a bloody stupid, heroic git.

The one that would hug him, kiss him and tell him that he was her everything too and how could he even think that she could  _ survive  _ without him?   
  


Jemma ran as emotions flooded her mind and heart and stopped only when she was at his room. She took a deep calming breath and heard footsteps behind her and she knew that Skye must have run after her.

The door opened before she could reach for the knob and Coulson and May got out. Both shot her an odd look: sympathetic and almost... apologetic?

Confused, Jemma walked past them and into the room before they could stop her and found Trip monitoring the machineries around the bed and then...

“Leo.”

His name escaped her lips in a hushed whisper before she could stop it and she felt her eyes well up. She forced herself to calm down: she was not going to cry.

Leo was propped against the pillows, barely sitting up and looking more than a little confused. It was plausible: his last memory was of them in the medpod.

His gaze shifted from Trip to her as she entered the room. She had missed his blue eyes and expected a little sign of recognition in them, maybe even a small hint of a smile but he just stared. That sent a little warning bell in her head and she also realised that he hadn't reacted when she had said his name.

She had imagined various scenarios in her head. She had researched hypoxia and the eventual consequences while she had been sitting at his bedside: muscle spasms and decreased motor control, short-term memory loss and difficulty with complex learning tasks.

They were all things that they could work out.  _ Together _ .

Jemma would help him with the physiotherapy. She'd tell him about all the things that he might have forgotten about the past days, weeks or months. She'd be patient with him in the lab, do anything he couldn't do or help him do his work: she would be his hands if necessary.

  
  


She'd be anything he wanted her to be as long as he came back to her.

  
  


She had expected him to look surprised to be alive, maybe even scared about her reaction (because he would know that she’d be upset). She had expected him to look at her with that soft look he would give her when they were alone and make her feel loved and whole again.

  
She had expected many things but none of them included the blank stare he was sporting now.

“Leo?” She said again, approaching him slowly. She saw Trip look at her with a concerned gaze and then felt someone reach for her arm. Jemma turned around and was surprised to see May holding her elbow with a steady hand.

“Simmons...” Her tone was neutral but there was a hint of something in her eyes that made Jemma's heartbeat spike.

  
Something was wrong...

  
Leo cleared his voice and Jemma turned around immediately: she hadn't heard his voice in days.

He looked at her and smiled uncertainly, his eyes guarded.

 

Jemma felt the air whoosh out of her as she recognized that look.

  
  


“Hello...” His voice was low and rough for being unused. His tone was even and guarded.

 

Leo had given her a similar gaze when they’d first met ten years ago...

 

“Is that my name? Leo?”

 

Jemma stared at him, suddenly feeling numb. She was barely aware of May's hand gripping her elbow or Skye's gasp and Coulson speaking.

She just stared at Leo, her heartbeat ringing in her ears. She felt tears pricking her eyes again but fought them back along with the lump in her throat.

  
  


He didn't remember-?.

  
  


“And, I'm sorry...” He almost looked guilty now. “Who are you?”

  
  


_ That  _ shattered her.

  
  


She didn't fight back when May dragged her out of the room. The older woman was talking but Jemma couldn't hear her words.

Her heart was thudding in her chest and her mind was blank. She realised that she was breathing heavily, air suddenly insufficient for her lungs.

  
  


She felt like she was drowning.

  
  


Was this what Leo had been feeling when she swam to get to the surface? The heavy pressure in the chest and ringing in the ears? Eyesight turning darker and mind number?

 

Only one thought kept twirling in her mind in the darkness that was enveloping her.

Leo Fitz didn't remember anything.

  
  


_ Her Leo was gone. _

  
  


-

 

Jemma sat up, back ramrod straight, heaving for breath as her heart was beating fast against her ribcage. Something was constricting her throat: a lump of emotion mingled with a cry of anguish that made it out as a strangled whimper.

She gasped for air and moved her hands up to her face, sweeping her hair away and barely noticing the tears rolling down her cheeks.

Her ears were ringing and her only thought was-

Warm arms embraced her from behind: one arm, harder and rougher because of the plaster, was at her waist while the other moved up to her neck, keeping her head up and allowing her to take deep breaths.

“Jemma,” His voice was soothing, calm and soft. “It was just a nightmare, love. A nightmare.”

She trembled against him, pain, fear and dread still choking her.

“ _Leo_ ,” His name came out strained and pleading.

She felt him move, twisting her around without breaking the hug, so that she was in his lap and he could look at her in the dim light of her bunk.

“It's alright, sweetheart,” he whispered, moving his hand from her neck to her face, wiping away the tears that were still cascading down her cheeks. “It was a nightmare: it wasn't real.” He moved closer until their foreheads touched. “It's alright. I’m here with you. Breathe, Jem. It was only a nightmare. You’re alright.”

He kept whispering the same sentences on and on, fingertips caressing her face and eyes trained on her until her breathing slowed.

Jemma wrapped her arms around his neck, taking in his scent and warmth, allowing his voice to fill her ears. 

“You’re alright,” she whispered softly. His hand moved from her face to her back and went up and down her spine as they sat there in silence.

Her heartbeat had reached a normal pace when she moved back and shot a watery smile at Leo.

“Thank you,” she whispered and moved her hands over her face to wipe away the tears. “I'm such a mess...and you have to deal with me. I'm sorry-”

“No, don't apologize, Jemma,” Leo said, catching both of her hands in his hand and brushing a soft kiss on her fingers, before freeing them. “We're both a bit... battered and bruised. You have your bad days and nights and I have mine. We'll fix everything together...and it will get better.”

His words soothed her frazzled nerves and she smiled, knowing that she wasn't alone.

“Thank you,” she whispered again, brushing her lips against his cheek. He smiled, shaking his head.

“Come on, you need to sleep,” he said and they both tucked under the sheets of her bunk, bodies meshing together in the restricted space.

Jemma laid her head on Leo's chest, his heartbeat lulling her to sleep.

“Goodnight, Jemma,” he whispered, brushing a kiss on her head. Jemma smiled with closed eyes and tugged his good hand closer to her chest, entwining their fingers together.

“Goodnight, Leo.”

 

Everything would be fine...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, leave a comment... :)


	6. Loving Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, this is shameless fluff. I can't even deny it.
> 
> Anyway, here's the prompt for Day 6: Stereotype
> 
> Thanks to my Beta StarryDreamer01 who helped me edit this.

“ Tell me:  _ why  _ are we here again?”

“We've been chosen-”

“ _ Forced _ , you mean.”

“-to run the errands for the Team.”

 

Leo scoffed and trudged after Jemma, holding a market basket. She looked up at him over the list she was holding.

“We'd be already done with this if you complained a bit less, you know?” She huffed. “May has been pretty clear about it: we have to be back by six.”

“Yeah, I know: wheel's up at six,” he said, picking up a bag of potatoes and looking at her. She nodded and he put it in the basket. “Skye's hack will be up until seven and we have to be at the Playground by then.”

How their friend and teammate could hack her way into NSA's satellite's system in a few minutes and make the Bus invisible for hours was beyond him...

“Exactly and it's almost five,” Jemma remarked, turning at an aisle. “It's a half an hour walk to the Bus and we've still got another few things to get. And it seems like it's about to rain.”

“ Wasn't  _ that  _ the reason that we were chosen?” He asked, following her. “Skye said, and I quote:  _ You're Brits so you surely love the rain since you're used to it. _ ”

Actually, Skye's primary reason for not wanting to go out was that they didn't have anything without a SHIELD logo that they could use in case it rained: all the raincoats and umbrellas had their organisations' symbol printed on them. And with SHIELD still labelled as a terrorist group, there was no way that they could use them. Same went for their SUV that would have been noticed in such a small town in Eastern Europe. They had gone to Prague for a mission and had decided to restock in a small town with a rather unpronounceable name. May had landed the Bus in an uninhabited area surrounded by hills and the rest of the Team decided who would go out and buy what they needed.

So that left the two British scientists to go out under a steel grey sky and hope to be back before the downpour. They had tried to find a place where they could buy an umbrella  but were without luck. The grocery store’s manager (who spoke English) had mentioned that the entire week had been filled with random storms and they were out of stock. They didn’t even have extra large rubbish bags that they could use to cover themselves.

Of course… Just their luck.

Jemma turned to him and laughed as he mimicked Skye's voice. He felt his lips turn upwards too: her smile and laugh would always make him light up.

“She sure does go for the stereotypes with us, doesn't she?” She commented, looking at the selection of products in front of her and frowning at something over her head. “Can you reach that box, Leo? The one up there on the left: that's the green tea May asked for.”

He leaned over her and took the box. Jemma smiled at him.

“Thanks,” she said softly and he grinned, moodiness vanished. “Anyway, a few days ago, I heard her mention our high alcohol tolerance to Trip.”

“Why were they even talking about that?”

“Hell if I know...” They walked into the body hygiene aisle and started picking up various things. “I think she was talking about the Team-bonding nights we had on the Bus.”

Leo smiled reminiscently and then felt a little pang in his chest when he recalled that Ward had been an integral part of those nights.

Jemma understood his line of thought and bumped her shoulder to his.

“Skye faltered a bit while they were talking,” she said. “But Trip must have noticed that something was wrong because he said that he was all for boardgames and alcohol nights.”

“Oh, Skye must have loved that,” Leo mused. “Why am I sure that we'll end up playing Scrabble tonight with Skye, Trip and probably Billy Koenig?”

Jemma snorted.

“He's a good guy,” Leo said after a while as Jemma dropped other things in the basket. She looked at him, arching a brow.

“Trip,” he specified. “He's a good person not only a valid agent.”

Jemma smiled.

“To think that you hated him at first,” she teased as they walked towards the cashier.

“I did not!” he said indignantly.

“ Oh, you sure  _ did _ . You were jealous of him.”

“Well, sorry if I was annoyed that a good looking bloke just appeared out of no where and started flirting with my-” Leo's ramble was cut short by Jemma's lips. She stepped back, removing her hands from his shoulders and grinning at his bemused expression.

“Told you,” she sing-songed and walked down the aisle while he shook his head in his disbelief. He was also quite proud of himself because the thought of Trip flirting with Jemma or sending her flowers didn't make his stomach clench. He was getting better at this...

They paid for their purchases and started dividing the items so that some went inside the backpack that Leo had brought with him, the rest in the store's bag.

“Leo, you do realise that Skye will tease us for forever and beyond once she sees our dinner tonight, yeah?” Jemma glanced at him, holding the packet of sausages and the potatoes in her hands.

“ We haven't had bangers and mash in ages,” He stated, taking the bag of potatoes from her and stuffing it in his backpack. “And, honestly, she teases us because we drink  _ tea _ : there really isn't much that we can do against her 'Let's find the British stereotypes'-thing.”

Jemma eyed the bag that she was meant to carry and glanced at him.

“Don't overload yourself,” she said. “I can carry something else: the bag's nearly empty.”

“ No, I'm fine,” he remarked, swinging the backpack on his shoulder. It wasn't  _ too  _ heavy...

He knew that she knew that he was telling a little white lie. But Jemma didn't say anything: she just looked at him, smiling gently and took his hand, weaving their fingers together.

He smiled back and followed her out of the store.

He caught a glimpse of them in the store's glass doors. They looked like a normal young couple in their jeans and Chuck Taylors, shirts and jumpers, hand in hand and carrying their shopping.

Jemma glanced at him and smiled again and he wondered if she ever thought about what their life might have been like without SHIELD. They were happy now, despite the secrecy and dangers. What would they have been like  living a normal life?

He looked at their entwined hands and realised that it didn't matter. As long as they were together, it really didn't matter.  
  


-

  
They were halfway to the Bus when it started to rain: big, warm drops splashed on them.

Leo tugged Jemma towards a large oak tree that had enough branches and leaves to shield them from the rain.

“Bloody Hell...” he cursed, wiping a hand across his wet face. They’d been out there for a minute and his hair was dripping, clothes clinging to his body and shoes drenched.

He was grateful that it was only a spring shower that lacked lightnings and that it was warm. He checked the time and muttered unintelligibly under his breath.

“It’s almost half past five,” he said, “I hate to say it but we have to walk under-” He turned to Jemma and suddenly forgot what he was going to say.

His partner was looking at him, squeezing the water out of her drenched hair with her hands. The long wisps of honey colored strands framed her face and her amber eyes stood out brighter than usual.

Leo was rendered speechless and just stood there, looking at her in silence, mouth agape.

Jemma looked at him curiously, threading her fingers through her wet strands.

“What?” She asked, tilting her head.

“You’re beautiful,” he blurted out and ducked his head, a furious blush attacking his face.

It wasn’t like he didn’t know that his partner was beautiful (he had known for years) but he never really told her so explicitly. Words weren’t really his thing and compliments made him extremely self conscious.

Despite Jemma being the person that knew him better than anyone else and with whom he talked about anything, there were many little things that he couldn't tell her without feeling awkward and just hoped that his little actions, like taking care of her whenever he could and giving her hugs, kisses and smiles, could amend for that.

He felt soft fingers on his jaw and then a warm palm cup his cheek and turn his head around. Leo's eyes locked with Jemma's amber ones for moment before she moved forward, bringing him closer and kissed him with a tenderness that made his heart melt.

“A girl could get used to that, you know?” She said, lips a whisper away from his. “To the sweetness-” A kiss. “-and the chivalrous attitude-” Another one. “And the compliments...” She pulled back gave him an adoring gaze and Leo felt his chest swell.

“You deserve that and much more,” he remarked softly. He smiled as Jemma blushed an adorable shade of pink and he kissed her, taking his time and enjoying being close to her.

When they pulled back, Leo grinned taking in her flustered face.

“Well, aren’t you a perfect English rose now?’” He teased. Jemma whacked his arm, half-heartedly.

“Oh, hush,” she remarked. “Or I’ll start pulling out awful Scottish stereotypes.” At his laughter, she grinned and then looked at the rain: it was drizzling now. “We should go…”

Leo nodded, shifting the backpack on his shoulder, thankful that it was water-resistant. He took Jemma’s hand and started to walk.

He liked this type of rain: he liked the padded silence it created around them. And while he usually enjoyed this weather while he was inside his room or house, dry and warm and possibly entertaining himself with something, he didn't mind this moment either. Jemma's hand was cool in his hand and her shoulder bumped with his as they walked in silence, lost in thoughts.

He wondered about his teenage self that used to go out for walks, even under the rain, to calm his mind and nerves and realised that this was much,  _ much  _ better.

He felt her fingers curl against his own tighter after a few minutes, drawing him out of his musings. Leo turned and saw Jemma staring at him with a little smile.

“What?” He asked, smiling himself.

“I just thought that we fill in the most obvious British stereotypes but also the most common of tropes,” she said, halting for a moment. He looked at her with an arched brow.

“Like what?” He asked.

“Best friends that fell in love,” she said and moved to kiss him, brushing her lips against his softly.

Leo moved his hand up to her cheek, cupping her face as he responded. It was nice: Jemma's scent and warmth intermingling with the rain.

“Hmm... We've just added another thing to the common tropes we've fulfilled,” he remarked, leaning against her forehead. “Kissing under the rain.”

Jemma laughed softly.

“True,” she said. “Let's not let Skye know about this: she'll never let us hear the end of it.”

Leo grinned and they headed back to the Bus.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, leave a comment... if you survived the sapfest... XD


	7. Her First Gift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, the last prompt. I've made it despite being two days late! :)
> 
> I wanted to explain a few things that might have been a bit vague in these prompts. I decided to include this set of stories in my headcanon universe and they can be used as a reference or might be expanded in some of my stories.  
> The Future FitzSimmons that I have here belong to my headcanon: in the Tis the Season to Be Jolly, I've outlined an hypothetical history line where I imagine FitzSimmons married and with a child. There will surely be stories explaining how they got there but I used prompt 4 and this one, prompt 7, to give a little snippet of what they will be.
> 
> I have this tendency of writing in a non-linear way, so I hope that I haven't confused you too much.
> 
> As always, thanks for the feedback: you're beyond wonderful …:)
> 
> And, this another sapfest... I'm warning you. ;)
> 
> Here's the prompt for Day 7: Ribbon
> 
> Thanks to my Beta StarryDreamer01 who helped me edit this.

When Jemma woke up, she was alone in bed and sunlight was streaming inside the room through the blinds.

She slowly got up and looked at her alarm clock, surprised to see that she had slept in. She was usually up at seven o'clock, an old habit that she'd been keeping up since MIT. The rare times she allowed herself a few hours more of sleep were usually after busy nights in the lab.

Shifting the sheets away and getting out of bed, Jemma stretched leisurely. It was Sunday and the Team usually didn't call unless there was some emergency.

Wrapping her robe around her body and glancing at the empty crib beside the bed, she realised that her husband was probably entertaining their daughter somewhere around the house and had allowed her to rest more.

Smiling to herself, Jemma quickly went to the loo and then downstairs where she peeked into the living room.

She was greeted by the sight of Leo sitting on the couch with Kathleen in his arms. He was blowing raspberries on the baby's soft stomach, earning delighted peals of laughter from her.

Jemma watched the scene in silence, taking in Leo's joyous face as he played with their baby girl and felt her heart melt when they laughed together.

They had waited a bit after their marriage before thinking about creating their own family. Their line of work within SHIELD and on the Bus didn't really give them the luxury to think about that: there were too many dangers and risks...

And there was also the fact that both were scared out of their minds at the thought of being parents. It wasn't an experiment that they could try to start and then stop or try again. A child was a human being, a living person that they would make and would have to take care of.

A baby would depend on them.

At some point, they both agreed that settling down didn't seem so bad after all. Jemma had been the one to suggest it, surprising Leo quite a bit. She couldn't blame him: she was the one that had wanted to go into the field in the first place. But after all these years on the Bus, after risking their lives so many times (after almost losing each other), Jemma realised that a quiet life with her husband in the UK wasn't so bad either.

They still worked for SHIELD and they still had their assignments and constant thrills (they had just worked on some unknown Asgardian artefact) but there were also moments when they'd both missed the Bus and their Team. However, the thought that they could work and not spend hours wondering if they'd be alive by the end of the day, made it better.

And now...they had Kathleen.

Less than a year ago, when she found out that she was pregnant, they had both been elated and terrified. She and Leo had spent nights pouring over books to learn what parenthood would be like.

Her parents often came to their home in Glasgow from Sheffield to dispense advice and soothe their nerves. His mother, sister and brother-in-law often visited to help them out.

Once their baby was born, Jemma's fear disappeared. It took one look at her child, wrapped in a blanket and looking so small, delicate and... vulnerable that her only thought was to take care of her.

She knew that Leo had the same thoughts: his soft look when he took Kathleen in his arms would be burned forever in her mind.

It was the same look that he gave her now as they played.

  
  


It was the same look that he'd been giving Jemma for years.

  
  


Another loud round of laughter made her snap out of her thoughts and Jemma laughed softly as she saw Leo grinning while Kathleen had her tiny fingers in his hair and mouth on his nose.

Feeling her heart brimming with emotion, she walked into the living room.

“There you are,” she said softly and two identical sets of blue eyes looked at her, wide open. Jemma laughed again, feeling a wave of warm happiness envelope her. She sat on the couch next to Leo.

“Good morning, love” she whispered, brushing a kiss at the corner of his mouth. She smiled as Kathleen gurgled when she gently caressed her face and took her from Leo. “And good morning to you, darling. So, did you get up early just to play with Daddy?”

Kathleen babbled at her happily, kicking her legs and moving her hands a bit. Jemma smiled and turned to Leo who wiped his face with the corner of his t-shirt and grinned at her.

“She was up before I was,” he said, putting a hand around her waist. “She was playing with that stuffed monkey that Skye gave her.”

Jemma snorted. Skye had come to visit a few weeks ago and had brought a monkey plush dressed in a lab coat. She had jokingly said that their baby had to have that toy since she was daughter of two weird scientists, one of them also a monkey-loving one.

Leo grinned again, brushing a kiss to her cheek and she looked at him, arching a brow.

“I've already fed her the bottle of milk,” he said, answering the silent query. “Changed her diaper and since it's warm I've put her into this cotton onesie.” He tickled Kathleen's covered feet and the baby squealed.

Jemma's heart swelled again.

“Well, you have one very efficient Daddy here, don't you darling?” She said, kissing the crown of Kathleen's head. She then turned to Leo, resting her head on his shoulder. “And I've got the most wonderful of husbands.”

“You've been working a lot between Kath and the lab,” Leo remarked and she smiled, hearing the blush in his voice. “I just wanted to help you out.”

She lifted her head and looked up at him in bewilderment.

“ We've been  _ both  _ working a lot,” she specified. “We take turns to feed her, put her to sleep, wake up when she cries... Then we do our work together in the lab and we manage to get the house going too.” She moved forwards and nudged her nose against Leo's jaw “We've been doing everything together, Leo. As always.” She smiled softly and he did the same before brushing a kiss to her lips.

Kathleen distracted them when she got a hold of the collar of Jemma's robe and a tiny fistful of Leo's shirt.

Laughing softly, they drew back and cooed over their daughter who eagerly babbled back. She was almost one year old and had started saying little syllables. Jemma's heart had melted when she said 'Ma' for the first time and she couldn't forget the look on Leo's face when Kathleen had said 'Da'.

The tea kettle started whistling and Jemma looked towards the kitchen, tearing her eyes away from her daughter.

“Did you make breakfast already?” She asked, looking at Leo.

“Yeah...” He said smiling and stood up to go to the kitchen. Jemma brought Kathleen closer to her and followed him, only to stop at the threshold.

“Sweetheart, whatever did I do to deserve you?” She asked, taking in the set table in the kitchen and ready breakfast. He had also made her favourite blueberry pancakes

Leo laughed.

“I think I should be asking that question, love,” he remarked, getting their tea ready.

Jemma approached him and brushed another kiss on his mouth.

“I beg to differ...” She beamed at him. “Anyway, why-?”

“Can't a man pamper his wife?” He asked, taking the steaming mugs and putting them on the table.

“Yes, of course, but-” She faltered and blushed at the look he was giving her. How he managed to do that after two years of marriage and almost fifteen years of knowing each other was beyond her...

She was tempted to hide behind her daughter's tiny body.

Leo approached her and took Kathleen from her arms, putting her in her high chair; he handed her new and, it seemed, favourite  stuffed monkey with a grin.

He then took Jemma's hand and guided her towards her seat, pulling her chair out and then pushing her in when she sat down.

Bemused, Jemma watched him sit next to her.

“Leo?” Her confusion was almost palpable.

“ It's a special day for you,” he said, smiling softly. “I want everything to be perfect. Actually,” He pointed at their daughter. “ _ We  _ do.”

Jemma's eyes widened.

“A special day?” She repeated. With a little bit of panic, she wondered if she'd forgotten some important date. It wouldn't be the first time: she tended to forget dates that weren't birthdays or holidays. Leo was the exact opposite: he seemed to remember every single thing and even after the medpod incident his elephant memory hadn't been harmed too much.

Leo had always remembered and, somehow, celebrated the anniversary of their first meeting and there had been years in the past, before they got together when Jemma forgot it. She had gotten better now, remembering anniversaries too.

So, now she scanned her mind, searching for some event and found... nothing.

It was Spring: the closest birthday they had was Kathleen's and it would be in late May.

Then what...?

Leo laughed and brushed his fingers against her cheek.

“You truly are horrible with dates, love.” he teased. “But since it's the first time, you're justified.”

“First time?” Jemma asked, blinking.

“Look under the napkin.”

Jemma automatically looked down and sure enough, the napkin next to her plate was covering something. She hadn't noticed it before. Shooting a look at Leo, Jemma removed the cloth and revealed a small box, wrapped in dark blue paper with a light purple ribbon tied around it.

More than a little flabbergasted now, she picked the box, fingertips moving over the smooth silky ribbon and then looked at Leo. He was smiling tenderly at her.

“Happy Mother's Day, Jem,” he said softly. As on cue, Kathleen said a loud 'Ma!' from her seat, earning a laugh from her husband. “See? She knows that it's your day. And Kath actually picked out the gift.”

Jemma stared at him, feeling a lump in her chest and throat as her emotions choked her. She felt tears welling in her eyes and had to blink quite a few times and clear her throat before she could speak.

“I-I don't-” She swallowed dryly.

“It's alright, love,” Leo said, cupping her cheek with his hand. “Just open it.”

Jemma felt her hands tremble slightly and was almost reverent when she undid the ribbon and the wrapping.

  
She hadn't really thought about it.

  
Mother's Day. Her first time to celebrate as a mother.

  
Her heart constricted at the thought that in the future, her daughter would bring her little presents herself, probably smiling and with shining eyes, hoping that she'd like her gifts. She imagined her little voice as she said 'Happy Mother's Day'. She imagined Leo helping their daughter and finding ways to surprise her.

 

She didn't expect the warm glow in her chest at the thought of this occurring many times in the future...

 

Jemma carefully opened the box in her hands and smiled when she saw a small, silver locket with a thin chain inside.

She picked it up, fingertips going over the small etchings over the silver casing.

“Open it,” Leo said and she did as he asked.

Inside was a photo of them. The three of them.

Jemma recognised it as a picture taken a few months ago and smiled broadly.

They were huddled together on the couch with Kathleen sitting on their laps; Leo's arm was around Jemma's shoulder while the other hand was around their baby's waist, entwined with Jemma's.

They were beaming at the camera, looking unabashedly happy.

  
They've been having that look for months now...

  
  


“It's beautiful,” she whispered, closing the locket and looking at her husband with watery eyes.

“Kath actually picked the locket,” he said, gently ruffling the little tufts of honey coloured hair on their baby girl's head. “I put a magazine with the various models in front of her and she poked that one quite insistently.”

Jemma laughed, feeling tears of joy pricking her eyes but brushed them away with the back of her hand.

“It's perfect,” she remarked and stood up. She went over to the high chair and placed a soft kiss on her daughter's smooth cheek.

“Thank you, darling,” she whispered. “You've made Mummy extremely happy.”

“Ma!” Kathleen bounced on her seat and Jemma chuckled, kissing her temple.

She then turned to Leo and felt her heart swell with emotion. She cupped his face and kissed him, pouring all of her feelings in the kiss.

Leo wrapped his arms around her and helped her slide into his lap, eagerly responding to her kiss. They got lost in each other for a few moments until they parted, more than a little out of breath.

“Thank you, sweetheart,” Jemma whispered, ghosting his lips with hers. Leo smiled.

“Anything for you,” he said. “I love you.”

“ I love you, too,” She rested her forehead against his. “I love you  _ so _ much.”

Leo hugged her closer.

“So,” he said in her hair, after a few moments of silence. “Let's have breakfast, yeah? And then we'll see how to spend the rest of the day...”

Jemma nodded.

“I wouldn't mind spending the day, cuddling in bed with both of you,” she remarked.

“Sounds like a plan,” Leo grinned.

  
  


When they walked into their bedroom, later, Jemma tied the purple ribbon onto a small hook that adorned her jewelry box.

  
  


It would always be a little memento for her first gift as a mother.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, leave a comment...:)


End file.
